Polymer+3D Printing

Polymer 3D printing, a form of additive manufacturing (AM), constructs three-dimensional objects by depositing material layer by layer. Unlike metal or ceramic-based processes, this method utilizes polymers—long-chain molecules composed of repeating units—as the primary material.
This technology employs extrusion, resin, and powder-based printing techniques, offering versatility in material selection and enabling intricate designs and structures that are not feasible with other manufacturing methods. A wide range of commercially available polymers can be used, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), polycarbonate (PC), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyetherimide (ULTEM), and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE).
Among these, PLA is the most popular due to its ease of use, as it exhibits minimal thermal expansion and contraction during heating and cooling. While other materials offer enhanced performance properties, they tend to be more expensive and challenging to print with.

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